WPL Publishing to Host Webinar on the Best and Worst Practices in Design-Build Construction

The interactive webinar, slated for Nov. 14, is suited for a wide variety of professionals within the construction community, including engineers, architects, construction owners, consultants, subcontractors, and construction law attorneys. The course has been approved for 1.5 American Institute of Architects learning units.

In mid-November, WPL Publishing will sponsor a webinar to inform construction professionals about the best -- and worst -- ways to implement the design-build delivery system for their projects.

The promise of design-build has been shorter schedules with fewer disputes. In theory, having a contractor and designer on the same team should eliminate the bulk of construction disputes -- such as those involving contract interpretation, design clarifications, requests for information, and coordination issues -- and reduce others, such as those involving differing site conditions. In addition, an owner should realize other benefits by having contractor input during the design stage, elimination of the contractor selection phase, and an ability to begin construction before 100 percent design completion. The webinar is intended to help construction professionals make the most of their design-build projects. To register for the 90-minute event, scheduled for Thursday, November 14, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. (EST), visit http://tinyurl.com/lofp3tf.

The webinar, entitled “Design-Build Done Right; Design-Build Done Wrong,” is intended to help attendees do the following:

Know when design-build should be used.

Determine which procurement practices are likely to be successful and which are likely to create challenges for all of the participants in the process.

Recognize contracting practices that will impact an owner’s commercial interests.

Understand which contracting practices should be used for professionals working by or through a design-builder.

Identify some of the post-award execution challenges that can affect design-build performance.

Addressing attendees will be Michael Loulakis, president of Capital Project Strategies Llc. (CPS), a specialized consulting firm that provides strategic procurement, contracting, and risk-management advice to clients who develop and construct capital projects. Prior to forming CPS, he practiced law for almost 30 years with the national construction law firm of Wickwire Gavin, P.C. He has extensive and diverse experience in working with public owners on major infrastructure projects, particularly those projects delivered through design-build or public-private partnerships. He also possesses a broad background in representing private-sector owners in the power, petrochemical, and process industries, helping them with project-delivery issues, risk management, and contract execution.

Webinar tuition is based on location, not number of participants, so each registration site can have multiple participants for one low price. To register, visit http://tinyurl.com/lofp3tf.